Christmas Wonderland

This Christmas, there's Christmas Wonderland at Gardens By The Bay. I knew it will be mad crowded, but I'd been thinking about bringing the kids and an opportunity arose yesterday so because I love them so much, I did.

 

I had little knowledge of it, except that there were beautiful lights and rides (from my friend's FB feed) so when we got there, I truly felt lost. In fact, on the way there in our taxi, I already felt alarmed because the cars were snaking to get to the Gardens and I was already cringing at the thought of crowds.

 

I wish I was more collected to see the lights properly, because they are truly beautiful but with the kids in tow and the crowds it was just that slightly tricky to take a walk in the park (geddit geddit).

 

 

Our first not very pretty picture with the lights (so poorly taken!)

 

I had promised the kids the carousel and they truly wanted to get there but because I had no idea where it was, I was dragging the kids tightly in my hands and trying to plough through the crowds to find it. I knew that I had to get tokens to pay for the rides, and at one point (after approaching 2 closed token booths) K asked me, "Mommy, is this fun?" - she truly meant it in confusion I believe, and I felt awful because till that point all they had seen were lights (they were not interested in that), alot of people (worse because they're only waist high and can even barely see above the average adult's shoulder), and a frantic slightly dishevelled Mom (I was super hot cos I was wearing long sleeves plus I was quite panicked in nagging telling them to hold on to me tightly as I did not want them to get lost!).

 

The night got a bit better at the point where I found a token booth - hooray! - even if there was a long queue of 20people or something. We spent the time going through the options of what tokens we need... and the initial plan was to ride on the (1) Carousel for 2 little people (2) Helter Skelter - a long slide for 2 little people (3) Train Ride for 4 people... that resulted in me widening my eyes in horror surprise when the cashier told me I'll get 27 tokens for $54.

 

Anyhoo, after the transaction, we headed in search of the Carousel.. only to chance upon the ride called "high chairs".

 

The most fun thing they had seen all night at this point

K made an instant decision that she wanted to ride it and off she went.

 

All buckled up... and her excited/nervous smile!

 

The slightly impatient (for Carousel) but kind brother who
let K take this ride first

Little Miss Unimpressed (she loves rides and this is obviously
slightly unexciting for her!)

 

When she came down, she said that it wasn't scary and she felt slightly dizzy. Suddenly, the boy chimed up, "Mommy I want to take this!" I was surprised but allowed him to... and the sister joined him on it for her round 2.

 

Handing over their tokens

Trying to get on...

Mommy I cannot! (He really couldn't. He needed the assistant to carry him on)

 

WE ARE READY!

Probably my favourite picture of the night.. look at their euphoric faces!

They were both thrilled with the ride and promptly urged to locate the Carousel as they wanted to ride it! So off we trooped...

This was the best pic I got of them with the Carousel!

Waiting in anticipation...

Happy K

My little boy and I

Due to height restrictions, he could not ride on the carousel alone.
So this is a picture purely to make him happy that he was on the horse - by himself!

 

That's me(!) taking a wefie with J, and that's K diagonally behind us

 

Next ride - the Helter Skelter - you had to climb up the stairs to
the top of this tower and slide all the way down

J wanted to take it but he was below the height limit, but by this point he was fine to sit out and have his milk so thankfully, there was no drama.

My brave little thrill-seeker

 

WOOSH

By this time, the boy was getting very grumpy and K was also showing signs of fret. She hadn't napped and - oops - it was already past 8pm and we had not had any dinner. The kids seemed intent to play though and we made a pitstop for J to "play basketball". It was 2 tokens for 2 throws but I knew that J wouldn't be able to make it as it was an adult bball that was too heavy for him. I made the thickskinned move to request from the stall operator to allow him to throw and I was so thankful she let him do so with a smile. It would have cost me $4 for him to throw balls for nothing when he had no ability, so I was very appreciative that she allowed J to do so. For the record, he threw the first ball right at his feet (oops) but he managed the 2nd throw over the net (like, 50cm away). Good effort though, baby J! His limited ability did not stop his enthusiasm of wanting to "PLAY BASKETBALL!"

By this time, we were down to one last token. Despite our initial calculations of rides and tokens, it was all awry as we did not take the rides as planned. I was trying to psyche the kids to go for dinner and I was planning to sell away the last token ($2) but just then, we walked past a row of stores with games. I decided to walk up to check out if the games were suitable for the children.. and found this game where the kids could play. However, I was one token short. I sighted a man in front of us in the Q and I asked if I could purchase a token from him. He took one look at me (carrying a very grumpy-faced J) and handed me a token and said, "here take it. Go let your son have fun" I was so surprised, I thanked him profusely, and had the kids thank him too.

The kind man in grey T with cap, and his wife beside him.
Their child is in front of them

I took out a $2 note when they were playing the game and when they were done, I tried to pass them the dollar note but the couple refused and I truly felt so loved and thankful that there is kindness and we parted on high notes saying "Merry Christmas!"

Their last game

 

Here's our final attempt at a shot with the lights before leaving the premise

Maccas at 9pm - a new high/low as a parent!

The end

All in all, I truly felt exasperated yet happy being with them all day. I really hope they enjoy and appreciate the experiences I try to carve out for them... and a most rewarding moment was as they were about to sleep, I said to them, "Children, I loved spending all day with you today. I hope you had fun"... and they both parroted after me the same words back to me. Such moments of them loving me makes everything worth it!

I read on a friend's blog on what Christmas meant to her and it got me thinking. True, an exciting part of it all is the gifts because when else do you receive surprises and treats galore? Yet, it is also a time that coincides with the end of the year where it's good to reflect and assess how the year had been. The additional bonus of Christmas Wonderland, or beautiful decor all around, just adds to the feel, but a lot of it starts from within. This December, I've not felt exceptionally relaxed or happy - perhaps it's because the year had not slowed down for me at all (case in point, on Christmas Eve at 11.05am I am in the office), plus December had been an exceptionally eventful month this year with weddings and travels and planning ahead for more travels etc.

While I'm hoping to be able to do some self-reflection in quiet next week of the year, I had an epiphany earlier this week. I was walking alone, and while I felt slightly frustrated that I was not feeling "December-ish", I caught myself very quickly and did a quick check that my year had been very good this year and so what, if I was still at work or had no leave? I was still doing things I wanted to like shopping and spending time with the kids, and work is work so whether I do it earlier or later it's just something that needs to be done. I'm brought back to earlier this year when I was such a grumpy troll on my birthday because I could not take leave... and this moment, right now, I'm listening to carols and so what if I was in the office than not? I'm still having a good time, still am leading a good life and it is still Christmas tomorrow and I have all the things in the world to be thankful for and I am not going to be grumpy and ruin it just because of some silly and wrong perspective!

So on this note, I'm going to kick off my work and try to enjoy the day no matter what I am doing.

Merry Christmas to all of you and may your day be loving and full of love and happiness!